"Fortunate to meet heaven's punishment, returning the Dao to heaven."

Shion withdrew her hand, pondered, "Hmm, well, forget it. Let's just say she died along with her Dao here."

For her, the final closing phrase was somewhat unsatisfactory.

She was uncertain whether "fortunate to meet heaven's punishment" or "died along with her Dao" was better.

The former seemed a bit more impressive.

Most importantly, it had already been announced server-wide. She couldn't exactly send out a follow-up correction.

That would seriously undermine the prestige of her Heavenly Dao broadcast.

She could only say this had been too sudden, and her preparations hadn't been sufficient.

Then she removed her ring, glanced down at South China, looked at the fading Changgeng, and sighed with profound emotion.

"The one who pioneered an entire path ended up like this. Tragic and lamentable. This too is a facet of the cultivation world."

"Didn't you kill her?" The little bear ornament beside her was baffled.

"It wasn't me. It was the will of heaven." Shion said without changing her expression. "Heaven's will erosion is also a great calamity on the path of cultivation. For such an unprecedented genius, a Dao Master who even opened an entire Dao path, if not for being eroded by heaven's will, how could they have fallen so far?"

For Shion, someone who could open an entire Dao lineage could be considered a Dao Master on par with herself.

"If there is a next life, you may enter Azure Cloud and wield the Immortal Slayer Sword."

Then she thought it over and felt it wasn't quite appropriate.

In *Immortal Slayer*, the Sect Master of Azure Cloud Sect who wielded the Immortal Slayer Sword was also eroded by Qing Qi.

Even Daoxuan, who was like an immortal, was eventually tortured to madness. Let alone whether Changgeng had Daoxuan's Dao Heart.

Wielding the Immortal Slayer would likely repeat the same mistake.

Then she remembered that Bingtang had previously forcibly opened the Heavenly Secret Seal and slashed out with the Immortal Slayer.

She wondered if it had harmed her body...

"Fortunate to meet heaven's punishment, returning the Dao to heaven?"

Fengqin, who had been spacing out, murmured Shion's words again.

Looking at the fallen Full Bloom Magical Girl, she felt somewhat emotional.

Those words were true.

Changgeng had lived a second life, yet had already gone against her former self.

Now she constantly denied her past self and wanted to erase all the great achievements she had once accomplished.

If not for returning the Dao to heaven, Changgeng would no longer be Changgeng, and South China would likely have faced great disaster.

Fortunate to meet heaven's punishment, fortunate to meet heaven's punishment...

Thinking this, Fengqin looked at Shion, who had calmly made the judgment and killed Changgeng in one strike, and her originally fearful and dissatisfied eyes now held a hint of admiration.

She actually seemed to care about Magical Girls...

"Next, we need to eliminate all the Magical Girls."

"Why?!"

"There are too many Magical Girls."

"What kind of reason is that?"

"A bunch of ticking time bombs. They'll Full Bloom at the drop of a hat and eventually destroy my cave heaven."

Shion acted as if she already considered the world in front of her her own property. "It's better to eliminate them all."

Fengqin felt she had really been overthinking!

She was just treating others as toys!

"Right now, the current problem is the Mirror Kingdom... If we don't deal with them, South China will be separated, and the entire new world will collapse prematurely."

The more Fengqin spoke, the less confident she became.

Because the Mirror Kingdom splitting off South China and fleeing beyond the world would indeed cause massive damage to the new world.

It would shorten the lifespan of the new world, which originally still had a long time left, causing it to collapse early.

But that was still a long way off.

Shion personally dismantling the entire world was far more dangerous than the Mirror Kingdom...

But right now, the main issue was still the Mirror Kingdom. Once the Mirror Kingdom was dealt with, Shion would definitely repair the world properly!

Then she saw Shion forcibly pulling at the North China region.

She also split North China from the world and dragged it toward South China.

The world was already falling apart.

Fengqin's vision went dark, and she fainted directly.

Only the little bear ornament looked at the broken sky, the shattered continent, and the chaotic world, sighing, "You are not like the Magical Girls, beings hoped for by everyone, nor are you like the Disaster Beasts, symbols of insatiable desire. Everything about you is based on your pure Personal Reality, undisturbed by anyone."

"Shion, what exactly are you..."

Shion's expression turned slightly cold.

*Bang!*

The ornament kissed the ground.

Fengqin, who had been pretending to faint to escape reality, couldn't stay unconscious after hearing the little bear ornament's words. She immediately scrambled up, grabbed her ornament, and slammed it onto the ground.

Rage rose from her heart, and wickedness grew from her guts. She, Fengqin, was also a girl with a temper.

This next smash would be crazy!

But before she could slam it down, Shion spoke, "If you kowtow again, I'll smash your head in."

Fengqin froze on the spot.

Besides kowtowing, she didn't know any other way to beg for mercy.

So she could only look crestfallen and lower her voice, "I'm going to die. It's all your fault for always asking such dangerous questions..."

"...If even kowtowing doesn't work, we're really done for."

"Can you resign? Being on top of your head is so embarrassing, I feel like every day is a year. If not, just throw me in a latrine."

"What's wrong with being embarrassed? As long as she's not angry." Fengqin's tone was aggrieved. "Don't you know my life principle?"

"Just begging to live!"

The little bear ornament was helpless: "Can I resign then..."

"You can't leave."

Fengqin lowered her voice further: "Let me ask you, do you think she's a Magical Girl?"

"No."

"Is she a Disaster Beast?"

"No."

"Is she human?"

"Uncertain."

"Then what exactly..."

"A Cultivator."

Shion's indifferent voice silenced Fengqin and the little bear ornament.

They watched as Shion fiddled with the broken sky, and as North China approached South China, it was as if she had entered creative mode, slowly piecing together the sky that had been shattered to kill Changgeng.

But Fengqin and the little bear ornament knew that the ring's Authority wasn't actually that high.

It was only because it was in this person's hands that she could achieve such a feat.

"A Cultivator?"

They saw on the pulled-over North China, numerous Magical Girls taking flight.

All of them were disciples of Azure Cloud Sect.

These were all very orthodox Magical Girls.

But in reality, they also had characteristics similar to Shion's.

Although not to the extent of Shion, who had absolutely none of the people's wishes.

Their self-will was stronger. They weren't swept along by numerous wishes but used their Personal Reality to control and manage the miracles gathered from the masses.

"Seeking truth, cultivating truth."

Shion extended her small, fair hand and pressed it against the sky.

It was as if the great hand of the Heavenly Dao itself, erasing the barrier around South China that isolated Magical Girls.

"Seeing through illusion."

In her golden vertical pupils, it seemed nothing could hide. "This is a Cultivator."

Therefore, there was no need for the people's wishes.

Because she could see the correct path, without needing guidance from others.

Nor did she need any miracle surrounded by the masses.

Because her self was the greatest miracle.

This was the Personal Reality that transcended the world and could unlock all the ring's Authority.

"Ahaha." Fengqin laughed awkwardly. "Then you're really our natural enemy as Dream Incubators. Because what we pursue is precisely the false beautiful dreams that make everyone indulge."

"Then make it real."

Shion looked at it indifferently. "Borrowing falsehood to seek truth is a common matter in cultivation."

Because in this world, there were far too many realities that didn't meet expectations.

"Seeking truth means seeking that what I think is true; cultivating truth means cultivating a world that doesn't conform to me; seeing through illusion allows one to know whether the world has been cultivated to take me as truth."

"This is a Cultivator."

The two listened to her words and were speechless for a long time.

After a long while, the little bear ornament murmured:

"It's simply a monster of self-consciousness."

Then it sighed, "A girl like you might actually be able to make your dreams come true."

Fengqin was even more curious: "Are all Cultivators like this?"

Good, it seemed they understood.

Shion breathed a sigh of relief.

Here she was, in the middle of a fight, suddenly starting a Dao discussion.

Her entire Dao wisdom was currently fully occupied pretending to be the Heavenly Dao, mincing words, and she couldn't spare any more cultivation to come up with high-prestige vocabulary.

She couldn't just say, "I reckon that's how it is..."

Although she had already decided that if they kept asking, she would scold them as false leaders, formless single-celled organisms with no wisdom...

But that would be undignified and not fitting for their identity as Cultivators.

"So, why don't you plan to completely destroy the Mirror Kingdom? You clearly have the ability, right?"

Shion looked down at the densely packed Azure Cloud disciples who had opened the Mirror Kingdom's gates and surrounded it.

She only said indifferently:

"Since there is a fellow Cultivator on the same path, naturally, I must lend her a hand."

After a passionate speech, Twins actually wanted to shout "MEGA" for the Mirror Queen.

So great, Mirror Kingdom. So beautiful, Mirror Queen.

Let's look at the scenery outside the border instead.

Oh no, why is it all Azure Cloud Sect disciples. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Especially the leader, Lady Winter...

Now that was true beauty.

As she watched, Twins forgot what she was supposed to say.

She just showed a love-struck and blissful expression.

"What are you doing?"

Only when Sonora spoke did Twins snap out of it, immediately wiping her drool and coughing, "Nothing, just looking at the Azure Cloud Sect outside and feeling a bit melancholy. We probably can't go back."

Although the journey had been noisy and Sonora had suffered quite a bit, hearing Twins say this, she still comforted her, "Don't worry, we'll definitely make it back."

"But won't we be seen as defectors to the Mirror Kingdom?"

"It's just a temporary alliance. Headquarters will understand. The biggest problem right now is..."

Sonora looked at the Azure Cloud Sect Magical Girls who had fought their way into the Mirror Kingdom, "How much longer can the Mirror Kingdom hold on?"

Not long after the Mirror Queen's speech.

The strategic weapon, Changgeng, had been defeated. Azure Cloud Sect's North China broke through the Mirror Kingdom's regional blockade and, as if divinely aided, charged straight into the Mirror Kingdom!

The moment the floating continent engulfed the false sky,

Magical Girls fell from above like meteors trailing colorful light tails, tearing through the dim sky and crashing onto the Mirror Kingdom's earth.

From heaven to hell, it only took a few minutes...

This was the Mirror Kingdom's first time facing an entire Azure Cloud Sect head-on...

The Mirror Queen turned and retreated deep into the Palace, only sending out Alices to distribute some weapons and equipment to the old world members.

Telling them to hold on.

Twins and Sonora had been released for this reason. Originally, after rejecting the Mirror Queen's invitation, they should have been imprisoned.

But the Mirror Queen probably thought the Witch Association was also an enemy of Azure Cloud Sect, so releasing them would make them fight against Azure Cloud alongside the Mirror Kingdom.

But the speed of collapse was too fast.

Since the Azure Cloud Sect disciples arrived, the Mirror Kingdom's fall had been much faster than expected!

Sonora, who had just retrieved her Miracle Seed, initially wanted to charge with the old world members.

Then she was swept back by the retreating tide—she didn't dare fly, as it would make her too easy a target for Azure Cloud.

"Charge!"

During the retreat, Sonora saw an exceptionally valiant old world member, strapped with a bunch of dirty bombs containing Polluted Magic, flying straight toward Azure Cloud Sect!

Those dirty bombs were bought at a high price from Saint Hall, specifically designed to blow up Magical Girls!

She must have been inspired by the Mirror Queen's speech, acting like a suicide squad!

But when she reached Azure Cloud Sect, all those dirty bombs turned into duds, frozen into ice blocks in a second.

Instead, that old world member, who was preparing to die together, just froze in place with a fanatical smile.

Then she was pinned down by Azure Cloud disciples and beaten senseless, wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves, as if her earlier bravery and fanaticism had all been fake. Soon, she was beaten to her knees, begging for mercy.

Fighting Azure Cloud Sect wasn't simply a matter of dying.

If you died from the first hit, that was fine.

But if you didn't die, you'd be tortured worse than death.

The most important thing was losing all face. Lying on the ground, having your head stepped on by Magical Girls, each kick until even your own mother wouldn't recognize you.

You couldn't even preserve your dignity as a human.

Then you'd be killed and hung up.

No matter how brave and fearless, after seeing that, your blood would run cold.

The front collapsed quickly. When Sonora and Twins retreated together, they found even Alice running away with them!

"What the hell, how can a robot run away? What's wrong with your Mirror Kingdom's underlying code?"

"Robots have dreams too." Alice said matter-of-factly. "We also have hearts. We don't want to die either. This is also about preserving assets for the Mirror Kingdom..."

"No wonder the front collapsed so fast!"

The raging wind and extinguished flames exploded right behind them!

Sonora, Twins, and the fleeing Alice were all sent flying!

"Didn't they say Azure Cloud Sect would accept surrender and not kill?!"

Sonora was dazed. She looked back and saw the Mirror Kingdom's border razed to the ground, with old world members scattered everywhere, "How is there any chance to surrender?!"

"Well, if you don't have time to surrender, you can't blame Azure Cloud Sect..."

Twins explained and then looked back at Lady Winter. Winter seemed to sense her gaze,

looking at her with concern.

So she gathered infinite courage and strength and shouted, "In this situation, we must go find the Mirror Queen and demand an explanation, everyone!"

As she shouted, the old world members running with her all looked over.

"Why does she let us face Azure Cloud Sect while she hides away!"

Although no one dared to say it, this statement struck a chord with many.

Earlier, she had confidently promised to show everyone the scenery at the top of the world. Then she ran off to a safe place, leaving them, the little people, to fight Azure Cloud Sect head-on.

Sure enough, all politicians were bastards. No matter how pretty they were, it was the same!

"Are you questioning our great Mirror Queen, Itaen?"

Alice immediately condemned sternly, "Do you want to be enemies with the Mirror Kingdom?!"

At these words, the rest of the fleeing old world members fell silent.

No matter how much resentment they had, they were all in the same boat. If they fell out with the Mirror Kingdom, Azure Cloud Sect wouldn't take them either. Then they would truly be outcasts with nowhere to go, only death remaining.

"That's not what we mean."

Twins led the charge at the front, rallying everyone toward the Palace. "Our great Lady Itaen definitely can't be wrong. If there's any fault, it's the civilian official group in the Mirror Kingdom interfering with Her Majesty Itaen's decisions!"

Sonora glanced at this veteran senior. "The Mirror Kingdom is all combat personnel. Where did a civilian official group come from?"

"Anyone who can speak is part of the civilian official group." Twins said with a serious face. "Who says combat personnel can't be a civilian official group?"

"It's not our great Itaen's fault. It's all the schemes of the civilian official group that led Her Majesty to make wrong judgments! Otherwise, with our great Mirror Kingdom's technology, how could we be pushed back by Azure Cloud Sect?!"

Sonora rubbed her forehead and looked back again.

Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed the Azure Cloud Sect disciples' attack speed was slowing down.

Either way, it was a good thing.

Just as Twins was about to stir up the crowd, and the old world members were indignant, ready to rush in and purge the evil ministers around the queen,

someone slowly said, "Anyone who dares to give Itaen advice gets their head cut off."

Everyone fell silent.

That's right. Itaen was autocratic and despotic. She was more of a tyrant than a foolish ruler.

Anyone who dared to offer a different opinion, at best got expelled from the Mirror Kingdom, at worst had their head cut off on the spot.

Who could influence her?

"Her Majesty's indiscriminate killing of these civilian official group members is precisely the best evidence that she has been sidelined!" Twins said with a serious face. "She kills people but can't get things done. She can only vent her powerlessness with rage. These people aren't even afraid of death. They just want to cause trouble for the Mirror Kingdom and disgust our Queen! This shows that standing against our Queen is not a few individuals, but an entire ineffable force that the monarchy cannot shake!"

"Since you're not afraid of death, why don't you come to the Mirror Kingdom?" Someone couldn't help but shout.

"In any case, we must go wake Her Majesty!" Twins looked at Alice. "Lead the way. Take us to find Her Majesty Itaen."

Alice pondered for a moment, "I think I am the 'civilian official group' you mentioned..."

Twins slapped her aside.

A massive Mirror Kingdom, and they managed to turn an AI into an Artificial Idiot.

Their most urgent task now was to quickly find the true technological masterpiece called the "Yongle Encyclopedia."

And start learning from the basics.

Although Twins didn't know what it was about, "Yongle Encyclopedia" had "Yongle" (eternal joy) and "dian" (classic), covering two of the six gentlemanly arts. It sounded extremely impressive just by its name.

Far beyond what this half-baked Mirror Kingdom technology could compare to.

Just as she was about to lead the army of defeated soldiers in a charge on the Palace,

strange numbers began to stream out from the depths of the Palace.

These numbers rapidly covered all the buildings of the Mirror Kingdom. Not just the walls and ground, but also the mirrors were crawling with numbers.

Even their group had numbers flowing over their bodies!

Then everyone saw the shattered sky above the Mirror Kingdom flicker, and a huge progress bar projection descended from it.

Heaven and earth seemed to invert. The progress bars fell to all four directions like pillars of light.

Most people stared blankly at the sky.

Only a very few quickly realized what these four progress bars represented.

East China, South China, North China, and West China—four regions!

Instantly, the numbers on everyone's bodies began to light up.

The backs of hands, foreheads, chests—countless points of light connected into lines, and lines connected into a web.

As if something was weaving, as if something was being constructed.

The next second.

All four progress bars filled up simultaneously!

Then, the entire Mirror Kingdom began to mutate in this spreading number field. Even the numbers on everyone's bodies constantly changed the flow and probability of mana within their bodies.

On the Azure Cloud Sect side, a single sword strike came.

Overwhelming mana and terrifying magic, melting everything in their path, deviated to the right of Twins' group, and following that sword strike, charged straight toward the Palace!

Hundreds of Alices rose, deploying barriers in front of the Palace!

But they couldn't even buy a second. Alice's swarm was quickly scattered by the Azure Cloud Sect disciples' magic!

The Sword Energy split the Palace in two, exposing the densely packed human pillar Alices inside!

Then, amid the raising of Alice upon Alice upon Alice, the massive royal court rose into the air.

[Analysis and Construction Complete.]

The system declared, sounding somewhat like the noise of the Sect Master when untransformed.

Then the numbers covering everyone and the entire Mirror Kingdom danced with joy.

Bingtang felt her mana begin to run wild, matching the dance of the numbers!

Then, all the numbers turned gold. The Mirror Kingdom, originally based on glass, instantly became resplendent and magnificent!

These numbers began to weave and construct based on the buildings, forming strange boundaries.

Then, Bingtang finally realized what this was.

This was a Personal Reality?

Using pure technology to simulate the miracles of Magical Girls to expand...

No wonder the Sect Master called her a fellow Daoist. To have reached this point through the deviant path of ghostly machines and mechanics was truly breathtaking!

Just as she marveled in her heart, the progress bar projections in the four directions of the Mirror Kingdom's sky suddenly exploded!

Twins' group of old world members cried out in surprise, and then everyone fell silent.

After the progress bars exploded, a terrifying amount of mana began to gestate rapidly!

Bai Mei, behind Bingtang, slightly lifted her head and drew another sword!

A cold, biting sword light flashed. But after striking the mana, the Sword Energy instead dispersed. The chaotic mana quickly re-coalesced.

Bai Mei stepped forward, intending to draw the sword fully,

but was stopped by Lady Winter in front of her, who grasped her wrist and gently pressed the sword hilt back. "Wait a moment."

The terrifying mana gradually gathered. Then, an Alice ascended, merging into that mana and slowly taking shape.

When the mana dispersed, Alice was gone. Only a Full Bloom Magical Girl in grass-green Magical Outfit floated there, pale and hollow.

Baihu, standing facing east, turned toward the royal court.

Then bowed slightly.

"Baihu of the Black Mountain Realm proves the Fruit Position of [Blue Silver Emperor] in East China."

Everyone stared blankly at Baihu. Only Bingtang pursed her lips and looked again at the split Palace.

It must have been the Sect Master's suggestion...

"Proving gold? She's actually proving gold? Why does the Mirror Kingdom have our Azure Cloud Sect's Dao lineage?"

"Don't tell me they're from the Purple Mansion Immortal Clan..."

"What are you guys talking about? I haven't studied Inner Sect Required Course 2 yet..."

"This is what you get for not studying. I suspect it's because the Sect Master's old flame defected to the Mirror Kingdom."

"No way. That Full Bloom Magical Girl was beaten to her knees by the true-transmission disciples, right..."

Hearing the disciples behind her whispering, Qinghua asked uncertainly, "What is this? A puppet?"

The Thousand-Pinweed beside her snorted coldly, "Ignorant! This is 'borrowing a flower to present to Buddha'! Using the Alices, they've completely transferred Baihu's fate, aura, cultivation, and status to this location. Coupled with Baihu's mana, it perfectly substitutes for Baihu herself!"

The disciples behind listened with awe on their faces. "Replicating Full Bloom?"

"No, it probably doesn't have true Full Bloom power." Thousand-Pinweed weighed her words. "They just want to borrow the status of Full Bloom..."

Another place, another Full Bloom mana gradually gathered.

Shui Shengquan appeared, standing in the west, clasping his fists.

"Shui Shengquan of the Great Ring Realm proves the Fruit Position of [Water in the Spring] in West China!"

Then came the east and south, where girls who shouldn't have appeared stepped forward one after another.

Even Changgeng, who had already died.

"Qianying of the Great Forest Realm..."

"Changgeng of the Mirror Kingdom..."

Four types of Full Bloom mana recreated the figures of four Full Bloom Magical Girls.

Their terrifying aura was no different from the real thing being present!

Not only were the old world members terrified and trembling, with some even kneeling on the ground and shouting for mercy,

even the Azure Cloud Sect disciples were under immense pressure.

If Bingtang hadn't been firmly pressing down on Bai Mei's sword hilt, this chief true-transmission disciple of Azure Cloud Sect would have long been unable to hold back, unleashing her full power to fight all four Full Blooms alone!

The four Full Bloom true sovereigns all bowed to the royal court in submission!

All the old world members also knelt toward the Palace.

"The four directions submit, the world's cauldron settles, the imagery is complete, the Fruit Position is in sight!"

Thousand-Pinweed gasped. "She's proving [Heavenly Fire]!"

"How do you know so clearly..."

"Never mind that! She's about to finish! Stop her!"

Bingtang just shook her head. "No matter. Wait a moment."

All the Azure Cloud disciples stopped.

The four Full Bloom true sovereigns all dissipated. Four types of brilliant Full Bloom mana surged like great rivers, pouring backward into the royal court!

"No!"

Bai Mei frowned. "Just having Full Bloom mana is useless."

"According to... the Inner Sect Required Course 3, *Profound Mirror Demonic Sects*, that I compiled... even if the four types of Full Bloom mana are incorporated extremely gently into her royal court, without a Mental Landscape, she will never take that final, perfect step."

Without this crucial step, she would never obtain the favor of the Full Bloom Dao Fruit [Heavenly Extinguish]!

But the dissipating numbers of the Mirror Kingdom leaped and coalesced.

Space was gradually alienating.

Then, above the royal court, silently, a girl suddenly appeared,

right in the center where the four true sovereigns had bowed!

White hair, crimson pupils. As she slowly sat down, a massive throne gathered out of thin air in the void to support her body.

Propping her cheek with one hand, laziness and arrogance overflowed from her gem-like red pupils!

Then the girl, lofty and noble as a Celestial Emperor, reached out and pressed her hand against her own heart. Terrifying words emerged from her mouth:

"Mental Landscape."

Below, Bai Mei suddenly opened her right eye and slashed out with her sword!

Winter's pupils contracted. All the jumping numbers around instantly fell silent.

The expanding Personal Reality began to solidify, woven from the Mirror Kingdom's vast data and materials, transforming into an independent space!

"Expand."

The Sword Energy dissolved within the Mental Landscape. Countless cold numbers jumped, an illusory space of only numbers and programming.

A miracle of Magical Girls, constructed through technology!

The girl on the throne tilted her head slightly, looking down at Winter and the Azure Cloud Sect below.

She simply moved one finger.

The sword strike that Bai Mei had just delivered appeared densely behind her, aimed at all the Azure Cloud disciples!

"Welcome to,"

A terrifying rain of swords, identical in power to Bai Mei's strike, engulfed all the Azure Cloud disciples!

"my Omniscient Domain."